Enrollment
686
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 280216000964
Vancleave Lower Elementary — Vancleave, MS
Federal NCES profile for Vancleave Lower Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 34/100.
👥 Class size 40
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 24
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Jackson Co School Dist · Mississippi
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
44.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15:1
vs 13.4:1 Mississippi avg
+12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
53.4%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
-34% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Vancleave Lower Elementary compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Vancleave Lower Elementary reports 686 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 44.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 12% above the Mississippi state mean of 13.4:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 6% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 53.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 34% below the Mississippi average and 3% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 686 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 30.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Jackson Co School Dist spends $11,261 per pupil district-wide, below the Mississippi average of $13,402 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 37.9% from local sources (property taxes), 43.7% from the state, and 18.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (F), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Vancleave Lower Elementary compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Mississippi state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Mississippi | Mississippi avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15:1 | ▲ 12% | 13.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 53.4% | ▼ 34% | 80.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 686 | top 80% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
53.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 34% below the Mississippi average of 80.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
15:1
students per teacher
— 12% above state mean
Top 78% in Mississippi — lower ratio than 22% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
30.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$11,261
per pupil, district-wide
— below Mississippi avg of $13,402
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 686 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
29
in-school suspensions + 14 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 686 Top 80% in Mississippi — larger than 20% of 877 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 44.0
Students per teacher 15:1 +12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 53.4% -34% vs state
NCES ID 280216000964
Student demographics
White 85.0%
Hispanic or Latino 6.1%
Two or More 5.8%
African American 2.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 85.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 686:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 30.3%
In-school suspensions 29
Out-of-school suspensions 14
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Jackson Co School Dist, which includes Vancleave Lower Elementary.
$11,261
Per student
-16%
vs Mississippi
Avg $13,402
-42%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 37.9%
State 43.7%
Federal 18.4%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,289
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Enrollment
- 946
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Enrollment
- 777
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Enrollment
- 737
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Enrollment
- 704
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
Similar elementary schools in Vancleave
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Vancleave Lower Elementary
How many students attend Vancleave Lower Elementary?
Vancleave Lower Elementary has 686 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Vancleave, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Vancleave Lower Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Vancleave Lower Elementary is 15:1, which is 12% higher than the Mississippi average of 13.4:1 and 6% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Vancleave Lower Elementary?
53.4% of students at Vancleave Lower Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Vancleave Lower Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Vancleave Lower Elementary is White at 85.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in Vancleave, MS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Vancleave Lower Elementary?
Vancleave Lower Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.